English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 19/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
To whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."
Luke 12/42-48: "The Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, "My master is delayed in coming", and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."Titels For English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 18-19/2022

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 18-19/2022
Fakhoury's family to proceed with suit alleging man tortured in Lebanon
President Aoun tackles general affairs with MP Pakradounian, awards late Farid Makari national Cedar medal
Berri meets Iraqi Ambassador, Kuwaiti Chargé d'Affaires, UN’s Wronecka, MP Khair, former Iranian Cultural Advisor
Army chief signs cooperation agreement with German delegation, meets ICRC’s Aeschlimann
Mufti Derian broaches general situation with US Ambassador, meets Beirut Governor
Reports: Hezbollah to send 'message' to Israel prior to Hochstein visit
Mikati 'keen on forming govt.', says Abiad
Bassil says rivals 'lost their mind' after his visit to al-Rahi
Jumblat refuses Franjieh as president, slams Aoun, says Geagea made him President
Finance committee asks govt. to provide 'realistic' numbers for state budget
Attack on Rushdie highlights divisions, extremism among Lebanese Shia
Salman Rushdie attacker 'surprised' the author survived
Canada says not safe yet for Syrian refugees to return home
Lebanon public sector faces paralysis as strikes widen
Kidnapped by Hezbollah, Lebanese suffer from Stockholm syndrome/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/August 18/2022

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 18-19/2022
Coptic pope offers condolences over church fire
US denies making new concessions to Iran in bid to revive 2015 nuclear deal
Israeli PM speaks to Germany's Scholz on Iran nuclear deal
Blasts hit area near Russian air base in Crimea, Moscow says no damage done: Report
Canadian Islamic Scholar Sheikh Tariq Abdelhaleem Praises Al-Qaeda's Somali Affiliate Al-Shabab: They Must Fight Those Who Oppose Shari'a Rule In Somalia
Sadr under pressure as he shuns ‘national dialogue’ held by Iraqi PM
Disappearance of US journalist could become bargaining chip between US, Syria
Jordan River remains rich in holiness but becomes poor in water
In call with Israeli PM, Scholz condemns Holocaust denial
Israel closes Palestinian rights groups it labeled terrorist
Israel defies UN with raid on Palestine rights groups
A new honeymoon for Turkey-Israel ties may begin with envoy exchange
Bombing at Kabul mosque kills 21, including prominent cleric

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 18-19/2022
Biden Administration and Iran Empowering Rushdie's Attackers/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 18/ 2022
Status of Global War against Terrorism/Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute/August 18/2022
The fatwa on Rushdie defined Iran’s intolerance and little has changed/Jason Rezaian/The Washington Post/August 18/2022
Why Iran must not be rewarded/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/August 18/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 18-19/2022
Fakhoury's family to proceed with suit alleging man tortured in Lebanon
Associated Press/August 18/2022
Relatives of Lebanese American Amer Fakhoury said they are happy to proceed with their lawsuit alleging that Lebanon's security agency kidnapped and tortured him before he died in the U.S., now that a judge has rejected the agency's attempt to strike the allegations. Fakhoury died in the United States in August 2020 at age 57 from stage 4 lymphoma. His family says in the lawsuit, filed in Washington last year against Iran, he developed the illness and other serious medical issues while imprisoned during a visit to Lebanon over decades-old murder and torture charges that he denied.
Lawyers representing Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security had asked to intervene in the wrongful death lawsuit to have the allegations against it stricken. Lebanon is not named as a defendant.
In its filing, the Lebanese security agency claimed the lawsuit falsely accuses it and its director of "serious crimes of kidnapping, torture and killing at the direction or aid of alleged terrorist organizations." It sought to strike the allegations.
A federal judge denied that request in an order Monday.
He said the family's allegations about Fakhoury's detention and the ties between Iran, Lebanon, and Hezbollah — described in the family's lawsuit as an "instrument" of Iran — have "obviously offended" the agency.
But he said the claims are "not irrelevant to plaintiffs' litigation against Iran — they lie at the heart of plaintiffs' complaint."The family is encouraged to go forward with their lawsuit. "We are pleased that the complaint against the perpetrators will proceed as it was filed," said Zoya Fakhoury, one of Amer Fakhoury's four daughters, said in a family statement Tuesday. The security director "tried very hard to conceal his agency's involvement and squelch our case but the court wasn't having it," the family's attorney, Robert Tolchin, said in the statement. David Lin, an attorney representing the security agency, said in a statement, "We are weighing all options, including the possibility of appealing the court's decision or filing an affirmative defamation suit."
He added, "Our client will continue to defend his reputation against unfounded attacks." Iran has yet to respond to the lawsuit. It has ignored others filed against it in American courts in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and U.S. Embassy hostage crisis.
Fakhoury's imprisonment in Lebanon took place in September 2019, not long after he became an American citizen. Fakhoury, a restaurateur in New Hampshire, visited his home country on vacation for the first time in nearly 20 years. A week after he arrived, he was jailed and his passport was seized, his family has said. The day before he was taken into custody, a newspaper close to Hezbollah published a story accusing him of playing a role in the torture and killing of inmates at a prison run by an Israeli-backed Lebanese militia during Israel's occupation of Lebanon two decades ago. Fakhoury was a member of the South Lebanon Army. The article dubbed him the "butcher" of the Khiam Detention Center, which was notorious for human rights abuses. Fakhoury's family said that he had worked at the prison as a member of the militia, but that he was a clerk who had little contact with inmates. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Fakhoury left the country, like many other militia members who feared reprisals. He arrived in the U.S. in 2001. As early as 2018, Fakhoury had sought assurances from the U.S. State Department and the Lebanese government that he could visit Lebanon freely. His family said he was told there were no accusations against him in Lebanon or no legal matters that might interfere with his return. Upon his return to Lebanon, Fakhoury was held for five months before he was formally charged, his family said. By then, he had dropped more than 60 pounds and had lymphoma and rib fractures, among other serious health problems, they said. Eventually, the Lebanese Supreme Court dropped the charges against Fakhoury. He was returned to the United States on March 19, 2020, on a U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft. He died five months later.

President Aoun tackles general affairs with MP Pakradounian, awards late Farid Makari national Cedar medal
NNA/August 18/2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, received “Tashnaq” Party Secretary-General, MP Hagop Pakradounian, today at the Presidential Palace and discussed with him general and recent developments.
MP Pakradounian revealed that he had discussed the results of the on-going contacts to form a new government with Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, “Especially since the current conditions require the formation of a government to keep pace with the expected benefits and to complete the treatment of the deteriorating economic conditions”. “The Tashnaq Party has always called for respecting the constitutional deadlines and is making contacts to help accomplish these benefits in an atmosphere that enhances national unity and fortifies coexistence among the Lebanese” MP Pakradounian said. “The meeting with President Aoun also tackledlife conditions and difficulties that citizens face socially, educationally and healthily. This requires expediting appropriate measures to alleviate this suffering” MP Pakradounian continued. “We also addressed demarcating the southern Lebanese maritime borders, the outcome of the mission of the American mediator, Amos Hochstein, and Lebanon’s firm position in this field, based on the preservation of Lebanon’s rights to its waters and resources” Pakradounian added. Concerning position of the Tashnaq Party on the issue of the return of the displaced Syrians in Lebanon to their country, MP Pakradounian affirmed support for the Lebanese position in this regard, especially since the repercussions of this displacement since 2011 have caused great financial burdens on Lebanon and exacerbated the deterioration of the economic and financial conditions in it.
National Order of the Cedar for late Makari: The President decided to award the late former Deputy Parliament Speaker, Farid Makari, the National Cedar Medal of the rank of Senior Officer, in appreciation of his role and contributions in Lebanese political and national life. Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, will place the medal on the coffin of the deceased in the name of the President of the Republic tomorrow. -- Presidency Press Office

Berri meets Iraqi Ambassador, Kuwaiti Chargé d'Affaires, UN’s Wronecka, MP Khair, former Iranian Cultural Advisor
NNA/August 18/2022
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Thursday met at the Second Presidency in Ain El-Tineh with Iraqi Ambassador to Lebanon, Haider Shia Al-Barrak, who came on a farewell visit upon the end of his diplomatic mission in Lebanon. Speaker Berri also received the Chargé d'Affaires at Kuwait's Embassy in Lebanon, Abdallah Sleiman al-Shaheen, with discussions reportedly touching on the current general situation and the bilateral relations between the two countries.The House Speaker also met with United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka. Moreover, Berri discussed the latest political developments and legislative affairs with MP Ahmad Al-Khair. This afternoon, Berri received former Iranian Cultural Advisor in Lebanon, Mohammad Mahdi Shariatmadar. Mikati chairs meeting of Committee tasked to follow up on Return of Syrian Refugees, broaches developments with Ministers Al-Abiad, Bou Habib, Corm
NNA - Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Thursday chaired a meeting by the ministerial committee tasked to follow up on the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland “in safety and dignity”. In the wake of the meeting, Caretaker Minister of Social Affairs, Hector Hajjar, said that the meeting took stock of the Syrian refugees’ return dossier. “Opinions were consistent, and it has been emphasized that the Ministry of Social Affairs is following up on this file in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; things are on the right track,” Hajjar said.
Replying to a question whether he feels that the position of the international community supports the return of Syrian refugees, especially in light of the aid provided by them, Hajjar said: “The international community has its position and its reasons. As for the position of the Lebanese state, it is known and clear and was voiced in Brussels. We are constantly following up on this file in a vigorous and accurate manner, but we cannot act as if we are alone. The issue concerns Lebanese ministries, the Syrian state, the international community, and the UNHCR, so we cannot take a solo step. Steps must be integrated despite the lack of understanding among them, but the path stemming from dialogue must be adopted in a bid to reach the aspired goal.”
With regard to the final number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Hajjar said: “According to recent data, the number exceeds one and a half million Syrian refugees on Lebanese territories. However, it’s quite evident that any changes in the region, especially economically, immediately wind up increasing these numbers — through refugee entry via legal and illegal crossings.“ Regarding measures to control crossings, he said: "We’ve discussed this issue with the Ministers of Defense and Interior, and we are trying to understand well all the details related to this file to deal with it."
Mikati separately met with caretaker Minister of Health, Dr. Firas Al-Abiad, who said: "In today's meeting with the PM, we discussed health issues and citizens' affairs in Lebanon. The first topic is the means to ensure medicines for cancer and incurable diseases, and the plans undertaken by the Ministry to mechanize the process of distributing medicine.
It has been agreed to provide funding for the next three months, and to increase it by USD 5 million per month, which will be allocated to increasing the supply of medicines for cancer and incurable diseases.”Abiad added, “As for the second issue, it is that of hospitalization, and the sufferings that citizens face at the gates of hospitals. There is a sum that has been approved at Parliament from the budget reserves of approximately LBP 1,600 billion for the Ministry of Health. We have prepared plans to use this amount, and there will be an increase in financial ceilings and an increase in tariffs, which will hopefully alleviate the sufferings of citizens.” Mikati then met with caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Abdullah Bou Habib, with whom he discussed ministerial affairs, the United Nations meetings in New York, in addition to the transfers of foreign diplomatic corps and the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mikati finally met with Caretaker Minister of Communications, Johnny Corm, with whom he broached an array of ministerial affairs.

Army chief signs cooperation agreement with German delegation, meets ICRC’s Aeschlimann
NNA/August 18/2022
Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, on Thursday received at his Yarzeh office, the Director of Middle East and North Africa of the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr. Tobias Tunkel, accompanied by German Ambassador to Lebanon Andreas Kindl, and the Embassy’s Military Attaché Lt. Col. Heino Matzken. A cooperation agreement with the army was signed during the meeting. On the other hand, Maj. General Aoun met with Head of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation for Lebanon, Simone Casabianca Aeschlimann.
The army commander also met with MP Assad Dergham.

Mufti Derian broaches general situation with US Ambassador, meets Beirut Governor
NNA/August 18/2022
Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, on Thursday received at Dar Al-Fatwa, US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, with whom he discussed the current situation in Lebanon and the region. Mufti Derian also met with Beirut Governor, Judge Marwan Abboud, and the Chairman of Sport, Youth and Scout Stadiums, Riad Sheikha. On emerging, Governor Abboud said that they briefed the Mufti on the current prevailing conditions in the city of Beirut, and listened to his opinion on an array of matters.

Reports: Hezbollah to send 'message' to Israel prior to Hochstein visit
Naharnet/August 18/2022
U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein in present in Greece and is expected to visit Lebanon in late August to continue the negotiations with the Lebanese officials who are awaiting the Israeli response to the Lebanese sea border demarcation proposal, media reports said on Thursday. “The resistance will soon send a military message to the Israeli enemy, in response to the policy of procrastination and maneuvering that it is showing,” informed sources told the al-Binaa newspaper.The sources added that the “message” will likely precede Hochstein’s visit to Lebanon.

Mikati 'keen on forming govt.', says Abiad
Naharnet/August 18/2022
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati told ministers in Tuesday’s meeting that he is “keen” on the formation of a new government, caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad said on Thursday. Mikati added, according to Abiad, that he would discuss with President Michel Aoun two options: the draft line-up that he had proposed in his previous visit or new proposals that include reviving the caretaker cabinet. “Everyone has concerns over the possibility of presidential vacuum,” Abiad added in an interview with Radio Voice of All Lebanon. “No one wishes for instability in the country, that’s why everyone must exert efforts to secure the continuity of state institutions,” the minister went on to say.

Bassil says rivals 'lost their mind' after his visit to al-Rahi
Naharnet/August 18/2022
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Thursday accused political rivals of giving up Christian rights and said they “lost their mind” when he visited Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to seek “consensus” over the next president. “Without making a concession over representation, we have said that we might cede it to a person on whom we can agree to prevent (presidential) vacuum,” Bassil said in a video he posted on Twitter. “Our crime is that we visited the patriarch, because through his position he can work on this consensus,” he added. Slamming rivals as “devils,” he accused them of giving up Christian “rights.”“We will not give up the rights. We are the guardians of the rights, the republic and the presidency to whomever it may go,” Bassil went on to say.

Jumblat refuses Franjieh as president, slams Aoun, says Geagea made him President
Naharnet/August 18/2022
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has slammed Free Patriotic chief Jebran Bassil, accusing him, along with President Michel Aoun, of obstructing reforms, especially in the energy sector. Jumblat also criticized Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and considered that Geagea has made it possible for Aoun to become President. He said the latter easily accuses others of treason. "I do not dare to name a President, I am afraid I would be dubbed as a traitor," Jumblat stated, after Geagea had said days ago in a press conference that the parties that will prevent the opposition from electing a new sovereign president, would be traitors. "I do not agree with the LF that the next president must be confrontational," Jumblat added. "The next president must be capable of managing the crisis, and must have an economic and political background, without being affiliated to a party," he went on to say, adding that he doesn't support the election of al-Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh as President. He said that the opposition forces are still fragmented while Hezbollah and its allies can easily choose the President they want in the coming presidential poll. Jumblat considered that the priority now is for the reforms in the energy and banking sectors over the political issues like Hezbollah's disarmament and the border demarcation, and that Lebanon cannot be neutral "as long as a beast called Israel exists."Jumblat had met last week with a Hezbollah delegation in Clemenceau.

Finance committee asks govt. to provide 'realistic' numbers for state budget
Naharnet/August 18/2022
The Finance and Budget Committee, headed by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, convened Thursday to discuss the 2022 state budget law. Kanaan asked the government to give realistic numbers for the so-called customs dollar that will determine the LBP to USD exchange rate to be used to calculate customs on imports. The lawmaker said the committee has given the government a last delay until next week to provide realistic numbers for the state budget. Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati had asked Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil to increase the customs exchange rate from LBP 1,500 to 20,000. Basic goods and food products would be exempted. Last week President Michel Aoun refused to sign a decree that would increase the customs fees to 26,000, saying that the customs dollar must be increased gradually.

Attack on Rushdie highlights divisions, extremism among Lebanese Shia
The Arab Weekly/August 18/2022
An old video resurfaced where Nasrallah says that “no one would have dared to attack Islam’s Prophet Muhammad again” if Rushdie had been killed immediately after the fatwa.
The stabbing of author Salman Rushdie has laid bare divisions in Lebanon’s Shia Muslim community, pitting a few denouncing the violence against fervent followers of the Iran-backed Shia militant Hezbollah group who have praised the attack. One Rushdie defender received death threats. The attack struck close to home among Lebanon’s Shia. The assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, is a dual Lebanese-US citizen and his father lives in a village in Hezbollah-dominated southern Lebanon. Matar’s mother has said she believes her son’s visit to the village of Yaroun in 2018 turned him into a religious zealot. The religious edict, or fatwa, urging Muslims to kill Rushdie was issued in 1989 by Iran’s then-spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who accused the author of blasphemy for his portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad in the novel “The Satanic Verses.” Iran, a close Hezbollah ally, has praised Friday’s attack but denied direct involvement. Hezbollah officials have been tight-lipped since the attack on the 75-year-old Rushdie as he was about to give a lecture in western New York. A Hezbollah official declined comment when contacted by The Associated Press. Most Lebanese Shia support Hezbollah and the more secular allied Amal movement of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, which won all 27 seats allocated to the sect during this year’s parliamentary elections. Parliament and cabinet seats are divided in Lebanon in accordance with religious affiliations.
Still, there is a vocal minority of Hezbollah critics among Shia. Several were attacked and one was shot dead last year. As the controversy swirled, an old video of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah resurfaced on social media. In it, Nasrallah said that “no one would have dared to attack Islam’s Prophet Muhammad again” if Rushdie had been killed immediately after the fatwa. Some Hezbollah critics have accused the group and its supporters of teaching their children to kill in the name of religion. Matar’s mother, Silvana Fardos, told the local Al-Jadeed TV late Tuesday that her son had lived all his life in the United States until he visited Lebanon for the first and last time in 2018. That trip changed him forever, she said.
“After he returned from Lebanon he was a different human being … I knew that he had a long depression and I was expecting one day to wake up and find out that he had committed suicide,” Fardos said, alleging that her son was mistreated by his father. Asked if she asked herself whether she had raised a terrorist or an extremist, the mother said: “No. I raised an angel.” Journalists have been prevented from entering Yaroun and Matar’s father has not spoken to the media. Despite Hezbollah’s official silence, the group’s supporters on social media are praising the attack. Some released threats against prominent journalist Dima Sadek after she posted on her Twitter account a photo of Khomeini and General Qassim Soleimani, the Iranian Revolutonary Guards’ Quds Force chief killed in a US strike in 2020, describing the two as “satanic verses.” Since then, death threats on social media and through messages on her cell phone have not stopped, with one man warning her, “I will rape you in public,” and another saying that “her blood should be shed.” She received a text message in which the sender told her where she lives.
Sadek said despite the public threats, she has not been contacted by the authorities with offers for protection. “This is the first time I feel I am in danger,” Sadek, a harsh Hezbollah critic for years, told the AP. She alleged that the social media campaign against her is orchestrated by Nasrallah’s son, Jawad.
She said she is restricting her movements for the first time. The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the Lebanese authorities to launch an investigation and protect Sadek. Shia journalist Mohamad Barakat, managing editor of the Asas Media news website, also came under attack after he wrote that by stabbing Rushdie, Matar “stabbed Shia who live in Europe and America.” In the other camp, Lebanese journalist Radwan Akil of the renowned local daily An-Nahar said in seemingly contradictory remarks that he condoned the fatwa against Rushdie, but not the killing of anyone, including writers. “I am of course with political freedoms and freedom of expression … but I’m not for criticising the greatest man in history the Prophet Muhammad and I also reject the criticism of Jesus Christ,” Akil said in a televised interview with Lebanese media.
An-Nahar issued a statement, headlined “adopting a call to murder contradicts our policies.” It said that Akil’s views were his own. Two journalists who had worked for the paper and were outspoken critics of Hezbollah and the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, another Iran ally, were killed in car bombings in 2005. The debate may eventually fizzle out because most Lebanese are preoccupied with the country’s economic meltdown and lack of services. “They have lots of other concerns,” said Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut. Lebanese political leaders have not commented on the Rushdie attack.However, caretaker Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada denounced Rushdie’s depiction of the prophet. “Freedom of speech should be polite,” tweeted Mortada, a Shia minister close to Hezbollah’s allies. “Insults or holding dark grudges has nothing to do with morals.”

Salman Rushdie attacker 'surprised' the author survived
Associated Press/August 18/2022
The man charged with stabbing Salman Rushdie on a lecture stage in western New York said in an interview that he was surprised to learn the accomplished author had survived the attack. Speaking to the New York Post from jail, Hadi Matar said he decided to see Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution after he saw a tweet last winter about the writer's planned appearance. "I don't like the person. I don't think he's a very good person," Matar told the newspaper. "He's someone who attacked Islam. He attacked their beliefs, the belief systems."Matar, 24, said he considered late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini "a great person" but wouldn't say whether he was following a fatwa, or edict, issued by Khomeini in Iran in 1989 that called for Rushdie's death after the author published "The Satanic Verses."Iran has denied involvement in the attack. Matar, who lives in Fairview, New Jersey, said he hadn't had any contact with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. He told the Post he had only read "a couple pages" of "The Satanic Verses."Rushdie, 75, suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and an eye, according to his agent, in the attack Friday. His agent, Andrew Wylie, said his condition has improved and he is on the road to recovery. Matar, who is charged with attempted murder and assault, told the Post he took a bus to Buffalo the day before the attack and then took a Lyft to Chautauqua, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) away. He bought a pass to the Chautauqua Institution grounds and then slept in the grass the night before Rushdie's planned talk. Matar was born in the U.S. but holds dual citizenship in Lebanon, where his parents were born. His mother has told reporters in interviews that Matar came back changed from a visit to see his father in Lebanon in 2018. After that, he became moody and withdrew from his family, she said.

Canada says not safe yet for Syrian refugees to return home
The Arab Weekly/August 18/2022
Calls for the return of Syrian refugees have increased in Lebanon since its economic downturn began in late 2019. Syria is not yet safe for millions of refugees to start going back home, a Canadian minister cautioned during a visit to Lebanon on Wednesday. He spoke days after Lebanese officials announced a plan to start returning every month, 15,000 Syrian refugees to their war-shattered country. The remarks by Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s minister of international development, followed his tour of the region that also took him to Jordan, where he visited Syrian refugees living in tent settlements. More than five million Syrians fled their country when the conflict began 11 years ago, with most of them now living in neighbouring countries Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon, which has taken in one million Syrians, is facing an economic meltdown and unprecedented financial crisis and is eager to see the refugees return. On Monday, Syria’s Minister of Local Administration Hussein Makhlouf said Syrian refugees in Lebanon can start returning home, pledging they will get all the help they need from authorities. However, the UN refugee agency and rights groups oppose involuntary repatriation to Syria, saying the practice risks endangering the returning refugees. Human rights groups have said that some Syrian refugees who returned home were detained. Sajjan echoed those concerns on Wednesday. “It is very, very important to make sure that there is an absolute safe environment where they can return to,” Sajjan said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Clearly, right now, based on our assessments Syria is not a safe place for people to return.” “These are very proud people, who want to go back home. They don’t want to live in these conditions,” Sajjan said, adding that any return will have to be a “voluntary situation.” Over the past few years, Canada has resettled tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, some of them from Lebanon and Jordan. Sajjan, a former defence minister and ex-member of the military who served in Afghanistan said he saw first-hand the effects and “horrors of war, which pushes people out.”“No one wants to leave their homes, but they have to,” he added. He said Canada will continue to look at ways, with multinational partners, to provide the appropriate direct support for the Lebanese people and “the vulnerable Syrian refugees as well.” The calls for the return of Syrian refugees have increased in Lebanon since its economic downturn began in late 2019, leaving three-quarters of Lebanese living in poverty. For Syrians, living conditions have become much worse. Sajjan said that during his talks with Lebanese leaders, he urged them “to move as quickly as possible” to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a bailout programme. He stress that IMF’s demands on Lebanon are “all legitimate things that are being asked for, given how the economic crisis has unfolded.”Ahead of any deal with IMF, Lebanon still has to draft legislation on combatting money laundering and a law on capital controls. Lebanon’s crisis was further exacerbated by the massive August 2020 explosion in Beirut’s port that killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and caused billions of dollars in damages. Sajjan hoped that the investigation into the explosion would resume soon. The domestic investigation has been stalled since December, due to legal challenges raised by some politicians against the judge leading the probe after he had filed charges against them. “I think the impact of the explosion … has shocked the world,” Sajjan said. “We are hopeful that the current investigation can move forward in a transparent way.”

Lebanon public sector faces paralysis as strikes widen
Najia Houssari/Arab News/August 18/2022
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s public sector and legal system are under growing strain amid widening strike action over the plunging value of salaries in the crisis-hit country. Hundreds of judges continued their strike on Thursday in protest at having their salaries based on exchange rate of 1,507 Lebanese pounds to the dollar. Civil servants have also decided to go on strike again for the same reason, despite being granted monthly aid. Meanwhile, Lebanese university professors are continuing their open-ended strike, while students wait for work to resume so they can take last year’s final exams. Lebanon took preliminary steps to raise the customs dollar rate from 1,507 Lebanese pounds — the rate adopted before the economic crisis hit three years ago — to 20,000 pounds. The move created confusion in markets, adding to the chaos they were already facing. The customs dollar is the price for calculating the customs value of imports, and is paid in Lebanese pounds. On Thursday, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati sent a letter to Finance Minister Youssef Khalil demanding the customs dollar rate of 20,000 pounds be adopted.
Khalil told an expanded ministerial consultative meeting about the move. The ministerial committee enjoys exceptional powers that allow it to adjust the customs dollar rate without the need for Cabinet approval. Amin Salam, the caretaker economy minister, told a press conference on Thursday that the preliminary decision will be the subject of discussions between the finance minister and the central bank governor. Salam said that the impact of the new customs dollar rate on prices of goods would be “insignificant,” adding that the current rate was no longer fair. “We want to adjust the wages and salaries of civil servants,” he said. Salam also voiced fears that traders might store goods to be sold later under the new rate. “We are waiting for traders to provide us with the lists of goods they purchased previously,” the minister said. Foodstuffs that will be subject to the customs dollar can be substituted by alternative products available in Lebanon, in order to encourage the industrial sector and the Lebanese industry, he said. Salam said that expensive cheese and canned vegetables are among products that will be subject to the customs dollar. He warned traders against pricing old products based on the new customs dollar rate. The customs dollar is one of the main elements feeding the Lebanese treasury, which receives a percentage of the price of imported goods. MP Ibrahim Kanaan, chair of the parliamentary finance and budget committee, said that he doubted the customs dollar would take into consideration people’s means and needs.“How can we come up with the customs dollar? What are the covered and non-covered goods, and who is going to monitor the prices?” he asked.
Four rates are currently adopted in Lebanon by the state and banks, in addition to the black market rate, which reached about 33,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar on Thursday.Economic analysts have predicted that the country will witness a new wave of price increases while social security measures are negligible in the face of worsening economic pressures. Observers are worried that this might encourage smugglers crossing Lebanese-Syrian border. Hani Bohsali, head of the Food Importers’ Syndicate, told Arab News: “There are no luxury goods anymore. If we want to speak logically and put things in perspective, the interests of Lebanese come before the traders’ interests.”Bohsali said the customs dollar “will affect oils and canned vegetables, and we are afraid that those demanding a wage increase might request another one after a while.”He added: “We will all pay the price of and be affected by ill-considered decisions. “Do we know what the repercussions of increasing the customs dollar are? Is it really going to profit the state? They calculated it based on how things stand currently, but what if the value of importation dropped by half as a result of the Lebanese low purchasing power.”
MP Ziad Hawat said that increasing the rate without a complete economic plan would not achieve the desired objectives.He called for a consolidation of the exchange rate instead of “stealing people’s deposits.”

Kidnapped by Hezbollah, Lebanese suffer from Stockholm syndrome
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/August 18/2022
We have a family story that is about one of our now-deceased relatives. As he entered the bathroom, which had just been cleaned, he was unable to find his razor blade for his daily shave. So, he started complaining loudly: “Where is my razor blade? Who misplaced my razor blade? Inshallah, I don’t find my razor blade. You will see what happens if I don’t find my razor blade.” At this point, his wife entered the bathroom and yelled back: “Tell me what will you do if you don’t find your razor blade?” And so, he answered timidly: “Nothing, honey, I won’t do anything, I just won’t shave, why are you getting upset?” It all would have been fine except that another family member was a guest that day and spilled the beans to the rest of the family.
There is much about Lebanese politics today that resembles this scene. People scream, “Where is our prime minister? Where is our president? Where are our MPs?” They can all yell, but ultimately Hezbollah comes in and says: “What are you going to do about it?” And everyone answers: “Don’t get upset, we will do without it.” This is already happening with the constant and consistent humiliation of the prime minister’s office. We are only allowed to have an acting prime minister and the Lebanese have accepted this.
When it comes to the presidency, it gets more respect. Just a little more to avoid a precedent. Yet, intrinsically, it has become a position under the control of Hezbollah. This is why, when it comes to the approaching mandate, the opposition only requests an uncontroversial president. This is the same opposition that, I remind you, could make its own selection if it were united. It is a complete capitulation. I seriously do not understand what this means. The only request is not to be insulted and to try and find an imaginary consensus, while Hezbollah continues with the destruction of the country. This is crazy politics.
In fact, the Lebanese suffer from Stockholm syndrome. They have more reasons to storm public buildings than the people of Sri Lanka or Ecuador, but they will not do it. This is simply because they know very well that the power does not lie in any of the republic’s buildings or symbols. They know that the real power — the power that controls the country and has kidnapped them — belongs to Hezbollah. And it is exactly that: A hostage situation. Just like the bank heist situation in Sweden, from which the syndrome’s name derives, the victims refuse to act or testify against their captors.
The syndrome is so strong with some on the left that they will actually take sides in favor of Hezbollah, presenting the organization as a symbol of resistance against international imperialism and an example of ethics and purity. The blame is entirely with the political parties and Israel and the US, which are trying to colonize Lebanon. It must be easier to live with this illusion than face the reality of being in a hostage situation. The milder version of this syndrome is to avoid mentioning Hezbollah, keep the blame on the political parties and analyze Lebanese politics as if it was a functioning democracy. This one proves popular with Western pundits and is all the more pernicious.
They have more reasons to storm public buildings than the people of Sri Lanka or Ecuador, but they will not do it
It is not only the imbalance of power that paralyzes the Lebanese and prevents them from acting. They might not say it, but they all understand too well what rising up against Hezbollah would mean. It would be a second civil war. Obviously, the captor knows it well and viciously uses this fact to keep a full grip on power. Hezbollah has already wiped out every single threat, no matter how small. It has basically continued and completed the actions of the Syrian troops. To this day, it keeps exploiting the fears of every minority to keep everyone in check. The playbook of occupation is the same across geographies and history. Obviously corruption is only a side effect. It is the required grease on the wheels of such regimes. Everyone complains about it, but they also envy the ones close enough to the captor so that they can benefit from it.
The technique is the same as that of Hezbollah’s patron in Tehran. It is all about twisting arms and threats of chaos. And so, today, as a final text has been reached in the nuclear deal negotiations, there is little mystery about how the following years will look. In these negotiations, the West is suffering with Stockholm syndrome just like the Lebanese. The Europeans especially are looking for a quick fix, having lost access to Russian oil as winter fast approaches. If we go back to 2015 and 2016, after the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was signed, Hezbollah and all other Iranian proxies felt emboldened and used the deal to grab more in each and every arena. It will probably be the same now. The only difference is that the countries of the region will not take such abuse this time.
Unlike my silly family story of a husband and a wife bickering, there is no love there. There is not even a family left. This image of Lebanon is dead and buried. There is nothing to build with a terrorist group like Hezbollah, no matter how often Western pundits describe the organization as Lebanese. This is a lie. Hezbollah is not Lebanese and it is not even a political organization. It is a violent extremist group holding an entire country hostage and destroying its freedom and fabric.
• Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 18-19/2022
Coptic pope offers condolences over church fire
Arab News/August 18, 2022
CAIRO: The Egyptian people showed their genuine nature with regard to Sunday’s fire in Abu Sefein Church that killed 41 people and injured 16 in the city of Giza, said the pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Pope Tawadros II thanked everyone who contributed to containing the blaze, and offered condolences to the family of a priest who died. “He was a beloved priest until his last breath, and we console the people of the church, both adults and children, knowing that they are with Christ, and that is very much better,” the pope said. “We thank God for all those who contributed to containing this crisis, including the concerned agencies, officials, the people and neighbors.” He said he is scheduled to meet in the next few days with the victims’ families, adding that Christian and Muslim communities in various countries have offered their condolences. The Interior Ministry said an electrical fault had caused the fire.

US denies making new concessions to Iran in bid to revive 2015 nuclear deal
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/18 August ,2022
The White House denied reports on Thursday that the US has made new concessions to Iran as talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal approach their 500th day.
London-based Iran International had earlier published a list of reported concessions the Biden administration had agreed to in a bid to get Iran to come back into full compliance with the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Biden administration has repeatedly stated its belief that reviving the deal would be the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, something which US officials have said was “weeks away” for several months now. “Reports that we have accepted or are considering new concessions to Iran as part of reentering the 2015 nuclear deal are categorically false,” National Security Council Spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement to Al Arabiya English. The outlet said it obtained a list of concessions the US agreed to, which include the removal of sanctions on 17 banks, the immediate release of $7 billion worth of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea and the annulment of multiple Executive Orders signed by former US President Donald Trump. Other concessions Iran International reported include sanctions relief of over 100 institutions and the guaranteed sale of 50 million barrels of Iranian oil in 120 days.
In the event that the US withdraws from the deal again, which is highly likely under a future Republican administration, Iran International reported that foreign companies would be exempt from US sanctions as part of the new concessions.
After more than a year of indirect talks and stalling mechanisms by Iran, the EU proposed a final text to Iran and the US at the start of this month, asking for a response within a few weeks. Despite the EU saying there was no more room for negotiations, Tehran made several remarks and sent back its response to the EU, which in turn passed along the comments to the US. Washington has yet to respond. A White House official told Al Arabiya English that the US had taken “a deliberate and principled approach to these negotiations from the start,” adding that if Iran was ready to comply with the 2015 deal, then the US was prepared to do the same. As for Iran’s comments on the EU proposed final text, the White House official said they were still studying them. “Our communication with the EU is private. We have been in touch with them regularly throughout the process,” the official told Al Arabiya English. It was also reported on Thursday that the deal would include the swap of prisoners. At least four Americans are detained in Iran.
Israel hits out at concessions to Iran
Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid was quoted as saying the time had come “to walk away from the [negotiation] table.”An Israeli official briefed reporters in Israel on a meeting Lapid had with US Congressman Ted Deutch and the US ambassador to Israel. “Anything else sends a message of weakness to Iran,” the Israeli premier reportedly said. Lapid also reportedly told the Deutch and the US ambassador, Thomas Nides, that the EU proposal added more concessions for Iran than the deal reached in 2015. Lapid’s comments come after the State Department claimed that countries that were “not wild” about the deal in 2015, including Israel and multiple GCC countries, had “over the years changed their tune on the JCPOA.”In response to a question from Al Arabiya English on Tuesday, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said formal statements from Gulf partners showed support for the US’s efforts to achieve a joint return to compliance with the JCPOA. Specifically, on Israel, Price said: “We’ve seen senior officials within Israel, including its security establishment, make a very similar case, that it was a disastrous decision on the part of the last administration to walk away from the JCPOA and to make the case that the JCPOA is now the best alternative to the specter of an Iranian nuclear weapon.”Price was referring to security officials, former and current, who had conveyed their belief that the JCPOA was a good move to ensure Iran didn’t acquire a nuclear weapon. But Lapid’s reported remarks on Thursday suggest otherwise.

Israeli PM speaks to Germany's Scholz on Iran nuclear deal
Reuters/18 August ,2022
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday, pressing Israel's position that efforts to revive a nuclear deal with Iran should end, a senior Israeli diplomatic official said. As well as speaking with Scholz, Lapid spoke to Ted Deutch, chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee's Middle East Subcommittee and with the US ambassador to Israel Tom Nide, the official said. The head of Israel's National Security Council, Eyal Hulata, is due to travel to the United States next week for more talks. The conversations came days after the European Union submitted a “final” draft text aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal which former US President Donald Trump walked away from in 2018. In an emailed statement, the Israeli official said the time had come to walk away from the talks with Iran, adding: “Anything else sends a message of weakness.” “Now is the time to sit and talk about what to do going forward in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” the official said. Israel has repeatedly spoken out against efforts to revive the deal, reserving the right to take military action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon or against Iranian-backed militant groups in the region. Iran, which has long denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon, has warned of a “crushing” response to any Israeli attack.

Blasts hit area near Russian air base in Crimea, Moscow says no damage done: Report
Reuters/19 August ,2022
At least four explosions hit an area near a major Russian military airport in the annexed peninsula of Crimea on Thursday, three local sources said, but a pro-Moscow official said no damage had been done. The sources said the blasts occurred in the vicinity of the Belbek base, north of Sevastopol. The governor of Sevastopol, citing what he called preliminary information, said Russian anti-aircraft forces had downed a Ukrainian drone. “There is no damage. No one was hurt,” said Mikhail Razvozhayev, writing on Telegram. Footage posted to a Ukrainian news-gathering site showed what appeared to be a rocket being fired into the night sky and the sound of at least two explosions. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the veracity of the footage. Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, is an important supply line for what President Vladimir Putin calls his special military operation in Ukraine. Russia on Tuesday blamed saboteurs for orchestrating a series of explosions at an ammunition depot in Crimea. Last week blasts ripped through a Crimean air base, which Moscow at the time said was caused by an accident.

Canadian Islamic Scholar Sheikh Tariq Abdelhaleem Praises Al-Qaeda's Somali Affiliate Al-Shabab: They Must Fight Those Who Oppose Shari'a Rule In Somalia
MEMRI/August 18/2022
The Internet - "OGN on YouTube"
On August 4, 2022, the Syria-based pro-jihadi On the Ground News (OGN) outlet posted to its YouTube channel an interview with Canadian Islamic scholar Sheikh Tariq Abdelhaleem. Sheikh Abdelhaleem praised the Somalia-based Al-Shabab militia and its "good intentions," dismissing criticisms about its human rights abuses and saying that it must continue to fight those who oppose "freedom and shari'a rule" in Somalia. For more about Sheikh Tariq Abdelhaleem, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 9071. Tariq Abdelhaleem: "I think Harakat al-Shabaab has good intentions, and they are trying to fight for the right of the Somalians to live according to shari'a, and they are opposing the regular, the normal puppets that are being supported by the West in Muslim countries and those who adopt secular life over Islamic life. "They are at least sincere. Nobody, no Islamic movement does not do some mistakes here and there, but the main goal, whatever they are trying to do, whatever they stand for is good. They should keep trying to stand for their goals, as long as they don't exceed any barriers of Islamic rulings like killing innocents or something like that. As long as they don't do that, then they have to go and fight those who are opposing the freedom and the shari'a rule in Somalia." Interviewer: "Good religious people that love Islam and want their country to be ruled by the shari'a, but have an issue with how careless Al-Shabab have been with spilling Muslim blood, torturing people, detaining people unjustly..."
Abdelhaleem: "I never heard about something like that with Al-Shabab. Maybe I don't know, but I didn't hear any of the claims from those who are considered scholars in that area, in the Islamic jihad around the world. I didn't hear any sort of this criticism."

Sadr under pressure as he shuns ‘national dialogue’ held by Iraqi PM
The Arab Weekly/August 18/2022
Iraq's main political leaders, but not firebrand Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, agreed Wednesday to work on a roadmap aimed at ending the country's political impasse, after talks called by the premier. They also pledged to keep talking and urged Sadr to join what Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called a "national dialogue".Analysts see the meeting as exerting additional pressure on Sadr who has yet to devise an alternative course to street protests without abandoning his demands. Sadr wants parliament dissolved to pave the way for new elections, but the Coordination Framework wants to set conditions and demands a transitional government before new polls. Hadi al-Ameri, leader of a Hashed faction, has also called for calm and for dialogue. He has had a series of meetings with political leaders including allies of Sadr as part of an initiative to prevent inter-Shia confrontation. Ameri’s initiative meets some of Sadr’s demands without antagonising his rival Nuri al-Maliki. It could offer Sadr an alternative if he continues to shun Kadhimi’s "national dialogue". Ten months after a general election last October, war-scarred Iraq still has no government, new prime minister nor a new president, because of disagreement over forming a coalition. Tensions have been rising since July between the two main Shia factions, one led by Sadr, the other by the pro-Iran Coordination Framework. Attempts to mediate have so far proved fruitless. After Wednesday's talks, a statement from Kadhimi's office said the meeting resulted in "several points agreed upon". These included a commitment to finding a solution through a continuing dialogue "to present a legal and constitutional roadmap to address the current crisis". Early elections were not ruled out, with the statement saying that "resorting to the ballot box once again through early elections is not an unprecedented event in the history of democracies", but without explicitly calling for them.
The Coordination Framework was represented at Wednesday's talks by two former premiers, Nuri al-Maliki and Haider al-Abadi. Also present were Hadi al-Ameri and Faleh al-Fayyad, senior officials in the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network, now nominally integrated in the national forces.
Maliki is a longtime foe of Sadr, the influential populist cleric whose bloc emerged from last October's elections as parliament's biggest, but still far short of a majority. Unable to knit together a coalition government, Sadr then ordered all his MPs to resign their seats. Sadr supporters have been staging a sit-in outside parliament in Baghdad's high security Green Zone for more than two weeks, and the Coordination Framework began a rival Baghdad protest on Friday. President Barham Saleh and parliamentary speaker Mohammed al-Halbussi also attended the talks, as did officials of the two main Kurdish parties and the UN envoy in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. As the meeting got under way, a terse press release from the Sadr faction said simply that it was not taking part "in the national dialogue". Experts feared the absence of al-Sadr's bloc effectively undermined caretaker Prime Minister Kadhimi's effort to resolve the ten-month crisis. Announcing the talks on Tuesday, Kadhimi's office had said they aimed "to start a profound national dialogue and deliberation; to find solutions to the current political crisis". Earlier Tuesday, Sadr had backtracked after previously urging his supporters to join a massive rally as the stand-off appeared to be getting worse. He said a "million-man demonstration" planned for Baghdad on Saturday was being postponed indefinitely.

Disappearance of US journalist could become bargaining chip between US, Syria
The Arab Weekly/August 18/2022
The Syrian government on Wednesday denied holding American nationals captive, including journalist Austin Tice who was abducted a decade ago in Damascus. It issued a statement in response to US President Jo Biden saying last week that he knows “with certainty” that Tice “has been held by the Syrian regime,” and calling on Damascus to help bring him home. The foreign ministry denied the accusation in a statement carried by the official SANA news agency. “The Syrian Arab Republic denies that it has kidnapped or forcibly disappeared any American citizen who entered its territory or resided in areas under its authority,” the statement said. It said it would only accept “official dialogue or communication with the American administration if the talks are public and premised on a respect for Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.” Tice was a freelance photojournalist working for Agence France-Presse, McClatchy News, The Washington Post, CBS and other news organisations when he disappeared after being detained at a checkpoint near Damascus on August 14, 2012. Thirty-one years old at the time he went missing, Tice appeared blindfolded in the custody of an unidentified group of armed men in a video a month later, but there has been little news of him since. Biden’s statement came on the tenth anniversary of Tice’s disappearance. “There is no higher priority in my administration than the recovery and return of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” Biden said.
The previous administration under Donald Trump sent a White House official on a rare mission to Damascus in 2020, aiming to seek Tice’s freedom. But that mission yielded no visible results. In 2018, US authorities announced a $1 million reward for information that would lead to the journalist’s recovery.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Wednesday that the Biden administration’s position is unchanged. “We call on the Syrian Government to ensure that Austin Tice and every US national held hostage in Syria can return home,” he said. “We believe to this very day that Syria still has the power to release Austin Tice. That is why we are calling on the Syrian regime to do just that,” he said.

Jordan River remains rich in holiness but becomes poor in water
The Arab Weekly/August 18/2022
Kristen Burckhartt felt overwhelmed. She needed time to reflect, to let it sink in that she had just dipped her feet in the water where Jesus is said to have been baptised, in the Jordan River. “It’s very profound,” said the 53-year-old visitor from Indiana. “I have not ever walked where Jesus walked for one thing.”
Here, tourists and pilgrims, many driven by faith, come to follow in Christ’s footsteps, to touch the river’s water, to connect to biblical events.
‘A victim in every way’
Symbolically and spiritually, the river is of mighty significance to many. Physically, the Lower Jordan River of today is much more meagre than mighty. By the time it reaches the baptismal site, its dwindling water looks sluggish, a dull brownish-green shade. Its decline is intertwined with the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict and rivalry over precious water in a valley where so much is contested. A stretch of the river, for instance, was a hostile frontier between once-warring Israel and Jordan. The waterway also separates Jordan to the east from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, seized by Israel in a 1967 war and sought by the Palestinians for a state. “It’s a victim of the conflict, definitely. It’s a victim of people, because it’s what we did as people to the river, basically and now adding to all this it’s a victim of climate change,” said Yana Abu Taleb, the Jordanian director of EcoPeace Middle East, which brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists and lobbies for regional collaboration on saving the river. “So it’s a victim in every way.” EcoPeace has said for years that the Lower Jordan, which runs south from the Sea of Galilee, is threatened by decades of water diversions and by pollution. Only a tiny fraction of its historical water flow now reaches its terminus in the Dead Sea. Standing at the Jordanian baptismal site Bethany Beyond the Jordan, Burckhartt grappled with many emotions, among them, sadness for the river’s dwindling.
“I am sure God above is also sad.”
Religious significance
The river’s opposing banks are home to rival baptismal sites where faith rituals unfold, a reflection of the river’s enduring allure. The river holds further significance as the scene of miracles in the Old Testament. At the Jordanian baptismal site on a recent day, a woman dipped her feet in the waters and then cupped some with her hands, rubbing it on her face and head. Others crossed themselves or bent to fill bottles. Rustom Mkhjian, director general of the Baptism Site Commission in Jordan, spoke passionately about the Jordanian site’s claim to authenticity. UNESCO had declared it a World Heritage Site “of immense religious significance to the majority of denominations of Christian faith, who have accepted this site as the location where Jesus” was baptised. “Every year we celebrate interfaith harmony and among my happiest days in my life is days when I see Jews, Christians and Muslims visit the site and the three of them cry,” Mkhjian said. The Jordanian and West Bank sites give visitors access to a narrow stretch of the river, where they face people on the other side. An Israeli flag at the West Bank’s Qasr al-Yahud serves as a reminder that the river is a frontier separating the two worlds. That site is also billed as the place where Jesus was baptised. Jordan and Israel, which signed a peace treaty in 1994, compete for these visitors’ tourism dollars. Several people in flowing white robes waded in from the West Bank. Visitors in another group there stood on the bank or in the water as two men in black poured river water over their heads. “Oh, Brothers, let’s go down. … Down in the river to pray,” some sang.
Such serene moments contrast with the hostilities that have played out on the river’s banks. “Any fresh water left in the river would have in the past been seen as empowering the enemy,” said Gidon Bromberg, EcoPeace Middle East’s group’s Israeli director. “You take everything that you can.”“Israel, from a historical perspective, has taken about half the water and Syria and Jordan have taken the other half,” Bromberg said. Palestinians can no longer access or use water from the Jordan River, a 2013 UN-German report noted. Syria does not have access either but has built dams in the Yarmouk River sub-basin, which is part of the Jordan River basin, it added. “The Jordan River in the past, for Palestinians, meant livelihoods and economic stability and growth,” said Nada Majdalani, EcoPeace’s Palestinian director. Now, she added, it has been reduced to an “ambition of statehood and sovereignty over water resources.” The river’s decline, she said, is especially disappointing to elderly Palestinians who remember “how they used to go fishing, how they used to have a dip in the river.”Bromberg said that “from a Jewish tradition, you know, the river and its banks are a place of miracles … (but) it doesn’t reflect a place of miracles in its current depleted state.”
Rehabilitating the river
In July, Israel approved plans to rehabilitate a stretch of the Lower Jordan, a decision Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called “historic.”“For decades it was neglected and most of its waters were taken and it effectively turned into a sewage canal,” Zandberg said in a statement. “In an era of climate crisis and a serious ecological crisis, there is double significance to rehabilitating the River Jordan.”Speaking by phone, Zandberg said the plan focuses on a stretch that runs in Israeli territory and reflects Israel’s improved water situation given its desalination programme, which has left it much less reliant on water it has been using from the Sea of Galilee. “It can provide a success story on that segment and then it will enable more successful partnerships in the future” in the region. That is something that has not always come easily, A regional rehabilitation and development master plan announced in 2015 by EcoPeace and others was adopted by Jordan but not by the Israelis or Palestinians due to outstanding “final-status” peace process issues, according to the group.
Political tensions have stalled other efforts.
And not everyone welcomes, or indeed trusts, EcoPeace’s work. “We’re always accused of being ‘normalisers,’” or having normal relations with Israel, said Abu Taleb, the group’s Jordanian director. That is a contentious topic, unpopular among many Arabs, due to factors such as Israeli occupations and a lack of a resolution to the Palestinian issue. Bromberg said he, too, has encountered criticism from a vocal minority in Israel “inappropriately” branding the group’s advocacy as benefiting Jordanians and Palestinians at the expense of Israeli interests. Water woes also complicate revival efforts. Jordan is one of the world’s most water-scarce nations, its challenges compounded by a growing population swelled by waves of refugees. Climate change threatens to exacerbate such problems. “We are under stress, so we don’t have a surplus to add to the Jordan River and to revive it,” said Khalil al-Absi, a Jordanian official with the Jordan Valley Authority. He added: “We have many beautiful ideas for the Jordan River, but there are limitations.” For all the challenges facing the river, Absi said he remains optimistic. The alternative could be grim. “Water is life,” Absi said. “Without water, there is no life.”

In call with Israeli PM, Scholz condemns Holocaust denial
Associated Press/August 18/2022
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Israel's prime minister Thursday that he condemns any attempts to deny or downplay the Holocaust, offering reassurance after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sparked outrage with remarks to that effect earlier this week. Speaking at a joint news conference with Scholz in Berlin, Abbas on Tuesday accused Israel of committing "50 Holocausts" against Palestinians over the years. Scholz, who was standing next to Abbas, didn't immediately react to the comments but later strongly criticized them. Scholz's office said the German leader spoke by phone Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid to discuss relations between their countries. "The chancellor emphasized that he sharply condemns any attempt to deny or relativize the Holocaust," Scholz spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. "The comments by President Abbas in Berlin were intolerable and completely unacceptable to (the chancellor) and the entire German government," Hebestreit said. "Keeping alive the memory of the civilizational rupture of the Shoah is an everlasting responsibility of this and every German government," he added, referring to the Holocaust by the commonly used Hebrew word. Post-war German governments have long argued that the word Holocaust refers to a unique crime: the systematic murder of 6 million European Jews by the Nazis and their henchmen during the Third Reich. On Wednesday, Abbas appeared to walk back his comments. His office said in a written statement that the Palestinian leader's reference "was not intended to deny the singularity of the Holocaust that occurred in the last century." While Abbas' remarks drew outrage in Europe, the United States and Israel — Lapid called them "not only a moral disgrace, but a monstrous lie" — Scholz received criticism as well for not intervening immediately at the news conference held at his chancellery. "That a relativization of the Holocaust, especially in Germany, at a press conference in the Federal Chancellery, goes unchallenged, I consider scandalous," said Josef Schuster, the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Abbas' comments came in response to an Associated Press question about the the 50th anniversary of the attack by Palestinian militants at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, which resulted in the death of 11 members of the Israeli team and a German police officer.

Israel closes Palestinian rights groups it labeled terrorist
Associated Press/August 18/2022
Israel raided the offices of several Palestinian advocacy groups it had previously designated as terrorist organizations, sealing entrance doors and leaving notices declaring them closed, the groups said Thursday. Israel has claimed some of these groups had ties to the militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a secular, left-wing movement with a political party as well as an armed wing that has carried out deadly attacks against Israelis. The groups deny Israel's claim. Shawan Jabarin, director of al-Haq, one of the targeted groups, confirmed that forces raided the office. He said his staffers are still examining whether any document had been confiscated. Israeli troops "came, blew up the door, got inside, and messed with the files," he told The Associated Press. Rights defenders have described Israel's moves against the groups as part of a decades-long crackdown on political activists in the occupied territories. In July, nine EU member states said Israel hasn't backed up it's allegations and that they will continue working with the targeted groups. "These accusations are not new and Israel failed to convince even its friends," Jabarin said. On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz's office reiterated its claim that the groups "operate under the guise of performing humanitarian activities to further the goals of the PFLP terrorist organization, to strengthen the organization and to recruit operatives."Most of the targeted organizations document alleged human rights violations by Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority, both of which routinely detain Palestinian activists. The groups reportedly raided include al-Haq, a veteran, internationally respected Palestinian rights group; Addameer, which advocates for Palestinian prisoners; the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees; the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and the Bisan Center for Research and Development. Jabarin said "neighbors and strangers" who were nearby during Thursday's raid had opened the office in Ramallah as soon as the Israeli forces left, and that al-Haq's staff were inside and resuming their work. "We don't take permission from any Israeli military or political official. We are proceeding, encouraged by our belief in the accountability and the international law," he said. Thursday's raids come seven months after Israel outlawed Al-Haq, Addameer, Bisan and others. The Israeli military said it closed seven institutions and seized their property in Thursday's raid. The military did not immediately claim the discrepancy in the numbers, between groups designated and groups raided. The Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank described the closure of the organizations as a "dangerous escalation and an attempt to silence the voice of truth and justice." Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, said the PA will appeal to the international community to reopen the institutions. Israel and Western countries consider the PFLP a terrorist organization.
A Defense Ministry statement last year said some of the outlawed groups are "controlled by senior leaders" of the PFLP and employ its members, including some who have "participated in terror activity." It said the groups serve as a "central source" of financing for the PFLP and had received "large sums of money from European countries and international organizations," without elaborating. Israel has long accused human rights groups and international bodies of being biased against it and of singling it out while ignoring graver violations by other countries. Also Thursday, the Israeli military said Palestinian gunmen fired at soldiers during an army operation in the West Bank city of Nablus and the soldiers returned fire. The army was referring to an incident in the early hours in which an 18-year-old Palestinian, Waseem Khalifa, was killed. Israel has carried out near-daily arrest raids in the West Bank aimed at what it says are militant networks following a string of deadly attacks inside Israel in the spring. The raids often set off confrontations with stone-throwing Palestinians or exchanges of gunfire with militants.

Israel defies UN with raid on Palestine rights groups
Mohammed Najib/Arab News/August 18/2022
RAMALLAH: Israel defied condemnation by the UN and the EU on Thursday by raiding and closing down seven Palestinian rights groups in the West Bank. Security forces stormed the groups’ offices in Ramallah and seized files, computers and other equipment before sealing off entrances and declaring them permanently closed. The seven groups are the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association; Al-Haq; Bisan Center for Research and Development; Defense for Children International — Palestine; Health Work Committees; the Union of Agricultural Work Committees; and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees. Israel has designated six of the groups as terrorist, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday repeated discredited claims that they had raised funds for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which it views as a terrorist organization.
The UN called for the terrorist designations to be revoked. “Despite offers to do so, Israeli authorities have not presented to the UN any credible evidence to justify these declarations,” the UN Human Rights Office said. “As such, the closures appear totally arbitrary.” Nine EU countries have said they will continue working with the Palestinian groups because Israel has produced no evidence to support its accusations. “Past allegations of misuse of EU funds in relation to certain Palestinian civil society organizations have not been substantiated,” EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell’s spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said on Thursday. “The EU will continue to stand by international law and support civil society organizations.”After the raids, staff from Al-Haq removed the metal sheet covering their office door and vowed to get back to work. “We were established here not by Israel, not by their decision, and we will continue our work,” director Shawan Jabarin said. Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh visited the group’s office and pledged his support. “This is not only an NGO, but this is also a state of Palestine institution — therefore as long as they work within the law, we will stand solid with them,” he said.
Analysts speculated that Israel had attacked the groups because they were becoming increasingly effective at exposing Israel’s repression of Palestinian people. “I think Israel wants to restrict the activities of the Palestinian human rights institutions that worked to submit files to the International Criminal Court and were able to change world opinion of Palestinian human rights issues,” rights expert Majed Al-Arouri told Arab News.

A new honeymoon for Turkey-Israel ties may begin with envoy exchange
Menekse Toktay/Arab News/August 18, 2022
ANKARA: Israel and Turkey have announced the upgrading of diplomatic relations and the return of their ambassadors and consuls general after years of strained ties between the two nations.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid greeted such a diplomatic breakthrough as an “important asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel. According to Dr. Nimrod Goren, president of the Mitvim Institute and co-founder of Diplomeds — The Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy — the announcement on the upgrading of ties marks a diplomatic success. "It is the culmination of a gradual process that has taken place over more than a year, during which Israel and Turkey have worked to rebuild trust, launch new dialogue channels, adopt a positive agenda, re-energize cooperation, confront security challenges, and find ways to contain differences," Goren told Arab News.“Based on these positive developments, restoring relations at the ambassadorial level is now seen as a natural step, perhaps even a long overdue one,” he said.  “It was important to seal this move before internal politics gets in the way, as elections in both countries are drawing near,” Goren added. Goren said that the timing also “coincides with efforts by both Israel and Turkey to improve and deepen their various relationships in the region.”
Turkey and Israel, once regional allies, expelled their ambassadors in 2018 over the killing of dozens of Palestinians by Israeli forces during protests along the Gaza border. Relations were completely frozen after the death of nine Turkish activists over an Israeli raid on the Gaza-bound Turkish Mavi Marmara ship in 2010. Since then, many attempts have been made to mend ties, especially in the energy sector, and in trade and tourism, which emerged as strategic avenues for cooperation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Isaac Herzog have spoken on the phone several times and Herzog visited Ankara last March. As part of mutual trust-building efforts, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also visited Jerusalem in May, marking the first visit to Israel by a Turkish foreign minister in 15 years. His visit was reciprocated by Lapid, then Israeli foreign minister, in June. The two countries also cooperated in counter-terrorism efforts following Iranian assassination plots against a Turkish-Israeli businessperson as well as Israeli tourists in Istanbul. Turkey took steps to curtail the movements of Hamas within the country. They also signed a civil aviation agreement last month. Dr. Gokhan Cinkara, an expert from Necmettin Erbakan University, thinks that shifts in regional geopolitics are the main determinants for Turkey’s new efforts for normalization. “The competition between status quo and revisionism in the region is over. Consequently, every country has alternatives and can be replaced, which is also the case for Turkey. Due to the economic crisis and geopolitical deadlock that the country is passing through, it was inevitable for Turkey to search for new options,” he told Arab News. “The appointment of diplomats will ensure that bilateral relations will continue to operate under an institutional routine.”
The ambassador to Israel is expected to be appointed soon. Both countries are also set to hold a joint economic commission meeting in September. However, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said that Ankara would continue to support the Palestinian cause. “Despite the new chapter in relations, Israel and Turkey still have differences of opinion on key policy issues, including Israeli-Palestinian relations and the Eastern Mediterranean,” Goren said. “These differences will not go away, but Israel and Turkey are aware of the need to be sensitive in how they deal with them and to put in place bilateral mechanisms to regularly engage on these issues,” Goren said. “If Israel and Turkey can somehow support each other on the road to conflict resolution with third countries (e.g., Turkey with Egypt, Israel with the Palestinians) — that will be a major benefit of the new chapter in ties.”As bilateral relations have been moving on a positive trajectory since Israeli President Herzog’s visit to Ankara, Selin Nasi, London representative of the Ankara Policy Center and a respected researcher on Turkish Israeli relations, pointed to the timing of the envoy exchange. “The Israeli side has been taking the process a bit slowly in order to understand whether Ankara was sincere in its efforts to mend fences,” she told Arab News.
Ankara’s “calm and measured response in the face of tensions in Jerusalem and in Gaza in the last couple of months and its full cooperation with Israeli intelligence against Iranian plots which targeted Israeli citizens in Turkey have seemingly reassured Israel’s concerns,” she said.
Nasi thinks that the ambassadorial exchange shows Turkey and Israel’s willingness to give the normalization process a formal framework, as well as their readiness to move to the next phase. “Considering the upcoming elections in Israel in November, normalization of diplomatic ties is likely to provide a shield against the interference of domestic politics,” she said. Although Turkey and Israel have managed to turn a new page in bilateral relations, Nasi thinks that it is equally important to see what they are going to write in this new chapter. “Both countries have a lot to gain from developing cooperation at a time when the US is shifting its focus and energy to the Pacific region and Iran is about to become a nuclear power,” she said. “On the other hand, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has put energy security front and center once again. It revived hopes that the pipeline project that would carry Israeli natural gas via Turkey could be eventually realized,” she said. “While the unsettled Cyprus question remains the elephant in the room, it all comes down to the sides’ mending political trust. We may therefore see some openings in the future.”Goren thinks that a relaunching of the Israel-Turkey strategic dialogue and the resumption of regular high-level contacts will also assist the countries lessen mutual misperceptions — related, for example, to Israel’s ties with the Kurds and Turkey’s ties with Iran — and avoid gaps in expectations. “Israel and Turkey should make sure that this time — unlike what happened in the previous decade — their upgrade of ties will be sustainable and long-term,” Goren said. The exchange of ambassadors has been also welcomed by the US. “Today’s announcement that Israel and Turkey are fully restoring their diplomatic relations. This move will bring increased security, stability, and prosperity to their peoples as well as the region,” tweeted Jake Sullivan, national security adviser at White House. Nasi also said that Turkey’s relations with Israel “have always been a factor of its relations with the West and with the US in particular. In the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ankara has been threading a fine path with Russia.”
Nasi said “normalization of ties with Israel may aim to send a message to the US Congress, whose favorable view and support on the modernization of F16s is very much sought for.”

Bombing at Kabul mosque kills 21, including prominent cleric
Associated Press/August 18/ 2022
A bombing at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul during evening prayers killed at least 21 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 33 others, eyewitnesses and police said Thursday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack Wednesday night, the latest to strike the country in the year since the Taliban seized power. Several children were reported to be among the wounded. The Islamic State group's local affiliate has stepped up attacks targeting the Taliban and civilians since the former insurgents' takeover last August as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their withdrawal from the country. Last week, the extremists claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul. Khalid Zadran, the spokesman for Kabul's Taliban police chief, gave the figures to The Associated Press for the bombing at the Siddiquiya mosque in the city's Kher Khanna neighborhood. An eyewitness told the AP the explosion was carried out by a suicide bomber. The slain cleric was Mullah Amir Mohammad Kabuli, the eyewitness said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the explosion and vowed that the "perpetrators of such crimes will soon be brought to justice and will be punished." There were fears the casualty numbers could rise further. On Thursday morning, one witness to the blast who gave his name as Qyaamuddin told the AP he believed as many as 25 people may have been killed in the blast."It was evening prayer time, and I was attending the prayer with others, when the explosion happened," Qyaamuddin said. Some Afghans go by a single name. AP journalists could see the blue-roofed, Sunni mosque from a nearby hillside. The Taliban parked police trucks and other vehicles at the mosque, while several men carried out one casket for a victim of the attack. A U.S.-led invasion toppled the previous Taliban government, which had hosted al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Since regaining power, the former insurgents have faced a crippling economic crisis as the international community, which does not recognize the Taliban government, froze funding to the country. On Thursday, the Taliban hosted a gathering of 3,000 tribal elders, religious scholars and others in Kandahar, their state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported. It wasn't immediately clear what topics they planned to discuss. Separately, the Taliban confirmed on Wednesday that they had captured and killed Mehdi Mujahid in western Herat province as he was trying to cross the border into Iran. Mujahid was a former Taliban commander in the district of Balkhab in northern Sar-e-Pul province, and the only member of the minority Shiite Hazara community among the Taliban ranks.Mujahid had turned against the Taliban over the past year, after opposing decisions made by Taliban leaders in Kabul.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 18-19/2022
Biden Administration and Iran Empowering Rushdie's Attackers
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 18/ 2022
"Whenever they (Islamists) disagree with a woman, they accuse her of treason, threaten her with rape and torture, and bully her family." — Ghada Oueiss, Lebanese journalist, to Lebanese television presenter Dima Sadek's 1.1 million followers on Twitter, after she received death threats for criticizing the stabbing of author Salman Rushdie; Twitter, August 14, 2022.
"Get out of the Middle Ages and learn how to live with other people's opinions." — Antoine Haddad, Lebanese academic, to people threatening Sadek, Twitter, August 14, 2022.
Sadek has good reason to be worried for her life. Most of the threats she received came from supporters of Hezbollah, the terrorist group that effectively controls Lebanon and reports directly to the mullahs in Iran.
On the same day that Sadek was receiving threats of murder and rape, Taliban militiamen in Kabul beat women protesters and fired into the air. The women [were] chanting "Bread, work and freedom...."
It is the mullahs of Iran, whose media has welcomed and praised the stabbing attack on Rushdie, that are inspiring, funding and arming Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Yemeni Houthis and other Islamist terrorist groups around the world.
In July, Iran executed at least 71 prisoners, including four women, according to the Iran Human Rights Monitor. Most of the women executed in Iran are themselves victims of domestic violence and commit murder in self-defense, the group noted.
Without the Biden administration's support for the mullahs, these groups would not be threatening to rape and kill women. Without the Biden Administration's support for the mullahs, these groups would not be launching drone and missile attacks on America's allies.
These are the same mullahs who are now hoping that the Biden administration will reward them with hundreds of billions of dollars as part of a new nuclear deal between Iran and the Western powers.
The mullahs will undoubtedly use the money to continue their campaign of murder and intimidation. They will also use the money to consolidate their occupation of four Arab countries – Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen – and continue their savage persecution not only of their own people, but also of women and journalists such as Dima Sadek and Hasan Shaaban.
It is the mullahs of Iran, whose media has welcomed and praised the stabbing attack on Salman Rushdie, that are inspiring, funding and arming Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Yemeni Houthis and other Islamist terrorist groups around the world. Without the Biden Administration's support for the mullahs, these groups would not be launching drone and missile attacks on America's allies. Pictured: Rushdie in 2018.
Iran's proxies and loyalists are threatening to murder renowned Lebanese media personality Dima Sadek because she dared to criticize the stabbing of Indian-born British-American novelist Salman Rushdie in Chautauqua, New York last week.
Since the stabbing attack, Sadek has been subjected to a campaign of incitement and threats of murder and rape through social media posts and text messages sent to her personal phone number.
The threats began immediately after she posted on Twitter a picture of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the first "Supreme Leader" of Iran, and Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander assassinated by the US in Iraq in 2020.
Sadek wrote on top of the picture: "The Satanic Verses." That is the name of the Rushdie's novel, inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Mohammed, and published in 1988.
The next year, Khomeini called for Rushdie's death through a fatwa (religious decree) that urged "Muslims of the world rapidly to execute the author and the publishers of the book," so that "no one will any longer dare to offend the sacred values of Islam."
Hours later, Sadek posted on her Twitter account that she has received death threats and was facing a campaign of incitement, especially from the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah and its supporters in Lebanon.
"Since the morning, I have been subjected to an incitement campaign that has reached the point of publicly calling for bloodshed," Sadek wrote.
"The campaign was launched by Jawad Hassan Nasrallah (son of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah). Therefore, I hope to consider this tweet as a message to the Lebanese authorities. I also publicly and officially hold the leadership of Hezbollah fully responsible for any harm that may happen to me from now on."She also posted on Twitter a sample of the threats directed at her. "Hey Dima Sadek, I would like to tell you that if I happen to see you one day, I'm going to rape you in front of everyone," wrote Nabil Kobaisi, a Lebanese man.
Another threat, from Lebanese citizen Hassan Al-Ali, included Sadek's picture with the comment: "You are next [after Salman Rushdie]."
Expressing outrage over the threats, Lebanese journalist Ghada Oueiss wrote to her 1.1 million followers on Twitter: "Whenever they [Islamists] disagree with a woman, they accuse her of treason, threaten her with rape and torture, and bully her family."
Lebanese academic Antoine Haddad also lashed out at Hezbollah and other Islamists around the world for threatening the TV presenter:
"The organized campaign against Dima Sadek is an extension of the culture of letting the blood of Salman Rushdie and everyone who disagrees with them. Get out of the Middle Ages and learn how to live with other people's opinions."
Sadek has good reason to be worried for her life. Most of the threats she received came from supporters of Hezbollah, the terrorist group that effectively controls Lebanon and reports directly to the mullahs in Iran.
The terrorists and their masters in Tehran may still have not issued a fatwa to murder her, but the threats alone are sufficient to force her and her family to change their lifestyle and probably live in hiding or under protection, as Rushdie had to do for more than three decades.
The Lebanese have long learned that threats by Hezbollah should never be taken lightly. This is the same group whose members have been convicted of conspiring in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a 2005 bombing in Beirut. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, had close ties with the West and Sunni Gulf countries. He was seen as a threat to Iranian influence in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, in addition, has a long history of intimidating anyone who dares to criticize it or its leaders.
Recently, supporters of Hezbollah attacked Lebanese journalist Hasan Shaaban while he was covering a sit-in strike by villagers protesting against the water shortages to their town.
Shaaban told the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news website that he was attacked by supporters of Hezbollah while filming a protest against the water crisis that the town has been suffering from for a long time. He added that a group of people severely beat him and threatened to kill him if he did not leave town.
He said that despite the threats and a bullet that was placed on the window of his car, he will continue to do his job.
On the same day that Sadek was receiving threats of murder and rape, Taliban militiamen in Kabul beat women protesters and fired into the air. The women, chanting "Bread, work and freedom," marched in front of the education ministry building in the Afghani capital before the militiamen dispersed them by firing their guns into the air. Some women who took refuge in nearby shops were chased and beaten by Taliban thugs with their rifle butts.
"Just like the Mullahs [of Iran], Taliban's main enemies are women and freedom of speech," commented Nervana Mahmoud, a respected Egyptian political commentator on Islamism.
In another post, Mahmoud pointed out that she saw no real difference between the various Islamist terrorist groups:
"Salafis, Taliban, Mullahs, [Muslim] Brotherhood, Haqqanis [an Afghan Islamist group] , may have theological differences among themselves, but they all agree on three things: Murder for Blasphemy, Endorsing misogyny, rejecting free speech. The rest is gibberish !
The stabbing of Salman Rushdie and the threats against the Lebanese female journalist should be as part of the Islamists' ongoing jihad (holy war) against anyone who dares to disagree with them or even criticize them.
It is the mullahs of Iran, whose media has welcomed and praised the stabbing attack on Rushdie, that are inspiring, funding and arming Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Yemeni Houthis and other Islamist terrorist groups around the world.
In Iran, the mullahs have stepped up their efforts to enforce hijab compliance as part of a wider clamp-down on dissent.
In July, Iran executed at least 71 prisoners, including four women, according to Iran Human Rights Monitor. Most of the women executed in Iran are themselves victims of domestic violence and kill in self-defense, the group noted.
Without the US support for the mullahs, these groups would not be threatening to rape and kill women. Without the US support for the mullahs, these groups would not be launching drone and missile attacks on America's allies.
These are the same mullahs who are now hoping that the Biden administration will reward them with hundreds of billions of dollars as part of a new nuclear deal between Iran and the Western powers.
The mullahs will undoubtedly use the money to continue their campaign of murder and intimidation. They will also use the money to consolidate their occupation of four Arab countries – Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen – and continue their savage persecution not only of people such as Salman Rushdie, Dima Sadek and Hasan Shaaban, but also women, their own citizens, and eventually "The Great Satan."
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Status of Global War against Terrorism
Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute/August 18/2022
Many of us have never been fans of the term "War on Terrorism" -- it is difficult to articulate a war against a tactic.
The successful surgical strike that killed Zawahiri, the successor to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden... and the drone strike and military operation that took out two ISIS leaders, demonstrated the resolve of the Biden Administration to keep a focus on terrorist groups.... These actions send a strong message to terrorist organizations, their supporters and our allies that the U.S. still considers fighting this threat a significant priority.
On the flip side of this record is the growing apprehension that the U.S. withdrawal once again has made Afghanistan a safe haven for radical terrorist groups to plan and train for attacks against the U.S. and the West.
Another major concern as we evaluate the war on terrorism is the porous southern border of the United States.... We are gambling with American lives by allowing millions of poorly- or unvetted aliens to come into the country: the open border crisis is a preventable national security threat.
The open border has been bonanza for the cartels who control human trafficking, often increasing America's unacknowledged slave trade, as well as importing lethal drugs that, in 2021 alone, killed more than 100,000 people. Reports estimate that the cartels take in between $5 billion and $19 billion a year.
Lastly, distraction has become a major problem in the fight against overseas terrorist threats. Rather than prioritize the jihadist groups abroad who want to kill us, the Biden-led U.S. government has made the threat from supposed "domestic terrorists" a priority.
Federal law enforcement personnel have been pressured to regard "right wing" groups and hate crimes as priorities. In June 2021, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the first "National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism." This document was developed through the coordination of multiple departments, including Defense, Homeland Security and State. To many, the document signaled the redirection of limited resources to an ill-defined threat that smacked more of politics than as a true threat assessment.
[D]evelopments in Afghanistan, along the southern border, and the redirection and prioritization for law enforcement towards alleged domestic threats should be cause for major concern.... [A] major attack against the homeland is the aspirational goal of transnational terrorist groups. I still believe this is the real goal for those who hate America.... [W]e may be entering a phase of vulnerability not seen since 9/11/2001. This, as we near the 21st anniversary of that tragic day, should alarm everyone.
A major concern as we evaluate the "war on terrorism" is the porous southern border of the United States. There have been reports of at least 42 individuals on the FBI's terrorism watchlist -- that we know about, apart from whoever might be among the 800,000 "getaways" -- crossing the border. Pictured: Illegal immigrants wait to be processed by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing from Mexico, on May 23, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona.
As we approach 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one year since Joe Biden's disastrous and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, and following shortly after a drone strike that killed al-Qaeda terrorist leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, it makes sense to ask: What is the status of the global war on terror that started in the immediate aftermath of 9/11? Is this so-called war over, and is the United States safe?
Many of us have never been fans of the term "War on Terrorism" -- it is difficult to articulate a war against a tactic. The expression, however, has become a catch-all phrase for military and intelligence actions against radical militant jihadist movements around the world. The term includes the attacks against al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan in the early days after September 11th, to the military intervention in Afghanistan by the U.S. and our NATO allies to overthrow the Taliban, to the war in Iraq by coalition forces led by the U.S. "War on Terrorism" also includes multiple, smaller campaigns around the world targeting terrorists in countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
While radical militant jihadists have been successful in executing countless attacks around the world since 9-11, no group has ever successfully replicated an attack on the scale of what al-Qaeda did that day. The declaration of a Caliphate by ISIS from roughly June of 2014 until December of 2017 represents the pinnacle of post-9/11 radical jihadist success. At its maximum, the ISIS caliphate controlled roughly 1/3 of Syria and more than 40% of the territory of Iraq. By late October 2019, when then President Donald Trump announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS, due to successful military operations by the U.S. and regional partners, no longer controlled significant territory in either Syria or Iraq.
In 2021, terrorism continued to be a real and consistent global threat. Statistics from the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) show that since the defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the epicenter of terrorism has now shifted to the Sahel region of Africa: Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The struggles and instability in the region make it an ideal breeding ground for terrorist organizations. ISIS and its affiliates continue to be the most deadly and dangerous terrorist organizations, according to the analysis by the Institute of Economics and Peace, which also produces the GTI.
The U.S. has a mixed record in combating the global terrorist threat. The successful surgical strike that killed Zawahiri, the successor to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, on the balcony of a residence in Kabul, and the drone strike and military operation that took out two ISIS leaders, demonstrated the resolve of the Biden Administration to keep a focus on terrorist groups. More importantly, it demonstrated the continued capability of the U.S. military and intelligence community to target terrorists and carry out these extremely difficult operations. These actions send a strong message to terrorist organizations, their supporters and our allies that the U.S. still considers fighting this threat a significant priority.
On the flip side of this record is the growing apprehension that the U.S. withdrawal once again has made Afghanistan a safe haven for radical terrorist groups to plan and train for attacks against the U.S. and the West. For one, there is little doubt Zawahiri was in Kabul with the full knowledge and support of the Taliban leadership. Additionally, many members of Congress, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and other current and former senior U.S. military and intelligence professionals have raised concerns about Afghanistan being a safe haven. While some have faith the U.S. will continue to have over-the-horizon capabilities to keep America safe, America's withdrawal from Afghanistan has significantly compromised our ability to monitor and neutralize potential threats against the homeland. The loss of boots on the ground and the Taliban remaking Afghanistan into a training ground for terrorist groups is a major step backwards for U.S. security.
Another major concern as we evaluate the war on terrorism is the porous southern border of the United States. In late May, it was reported that the FBI uncovered an ISIS plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush using an ISIS hit squad who had entered the US through its southern border with Mexico. There also have been reports of at least 42 individuals on the FBI's terrorism watchlist -- that we know about, apart from whoever might be among the 800,000 "getaways" -- crossing the border, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in one case, taking two weeks to rearrest one.
Erin Dwinell and Hannah Davis, writing for The Heritage Foundation, note that Border Patrol and ICE have warned that open borders welcome terrorists. We are gambling with American lives by allowing poorly- or unvetted aliens to come into the country: the open border crisis is a preventable national security threat. Given the plots and efforts we have seen already, and the warnings from experts and those involved in immigration enforcement, it is clear the border will remain a viable terrorist access route until the Biden administration gets serious about securing it.
The open border has been bonanza for the cartels who control human trafficking, often increasing America's unacknowledged slave trade, as well as importing lethal drugs that, in 2021 alone, killed more than 100,000 people. Reports estimate that the cartels take in between $5 billion and $19 billion a year.
Lastly, distraction has become a major problem in the fight against overseas terrorist threats. Rather than prioritize the jihadist groups abroad who want to kill us, the Biden-led U.S. government has made the threat from supposed "domestic terrorists" a priority. Federal law enforcement personnel have been pressured to regard "right wing" groups and hate crimes as priorities. In June 2021, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the first "National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism." This document was developed through the coordination of multiple departments, including Defense, Homeland Security and State. To many, the document signaled the redirection of limited resources to an ill-defined threat that smacked more of politics than as a true threat assessment.
As we have seen with the Taliban welcoming Zawahiri, plots against our former presidents, terror-linked individuals crossing our southern border, and multiple Iranian attempts to target people on American soil, the threat from international terrorist organizations might be growing. Now is not the time to be diverting our focus.
The recent successful targeting of terrorists such as Zawahiri is an encouraging sign for the continuation of U.S. counterterrorism policy. However, developments in Afghanistan, along the southern border, and the redirection and prioritization for law enforcement towards alleged domestic threats should be cause for major concern. As chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and later as an ambassador, I have been warned repeatedly that a major attack against the homeland is the aspirational goal of transnational terrorist groups. I still believe this is the real goal for those who hate America. There are encouraging signs that the U.S. remains engaged in efforts against terrorism, but the challenges highlighted above show we may be entering a phase of vulnerability not seen since 9/11/2001. This, as we near the 21st anniversary of that tragic day, should alarm everyone.
*Peter Hoekstra was US Ambassador to the Netherlands during the Trump administration. He served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the second district of Michigan and served as Chairman and Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. He is currently Chairman of the Center for Security Policy Board of Advisors.
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The fatwa on Rushdie defined Iran’s intolerance and little has changed
Jason Rezaian/The Washington Post/August 18/2022
On a freezing February afternoon in 2005, Christopher Hitchens and I took the Tehran metro to the end of the line: Behesht-e Zahra, one of the world’s most populated cemeteries. Looking out at the seemingly endless rows of tombstones, and unsure of where to begin, we hired the lone taxi we found to drive us around the sprawling grounds.
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The driver, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, guided us through some of the high-profile burial areas reserved for martyrs to the cause of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s Islamic revolution.
Then he stopped at a grave and read the inscription. The man buried there was “martyred” in a demonstration against author Salman Rushdie, whose 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” sparked outrage in parts of the world for what some readers considered a blasphemous depiction of Islam. The man had apparently died in a stampede of enraged protesters who supported Khomeini’s 1989 fatwa against the writer.
Hitchens listened and asked a couple questions, which I translated. Then he drew in a very deep breath into his stuffed, smoky sinuses and spat empathically on the tombstone.
I’d never seen anyone do that before. In the moment it felt extreme, but few people, if anyone, understood better than Hitchens how Khomeini’s edict — a full-frontal assault on the notion of free expression — had upended his friend’s life.
Eugene Robinson: My dinner with Salman Rushdie
Our guide was taken aback, but it didn’t stop him from continuing the tour.
The following day, Hitchens called Rushdie from Tehran on what happened to be the 16th anniversary of the fatwa. “Or Valentine’s Day, as most people know it,” Rushdie told me when I recounted this story to him, the one time we met.
I have thought about that episode in the cemetery a lot since hearing of the attack on Rushdie by a U.S. citizen who was born almost a decade after Iranian authorities unleashed a torment of violence on a man — and anyone associated with him — over a work of fiction.
Since the fatwa, there have been attempts to blow up bookstores. The Japanese translator of “The Satanic Verses,” Hitoshi Igarashi, was murdered in 1991 at the university outside Tokyo where he taught Islamic Studies.
No matter one’s views on faith and religion, there’s no question the attack on Rushdie was an attack on the very idea of a free and open society. Sadly, worryingly, the fact that that must be emphasized is a sign of how far we have strayed from those ideals.
“Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect,” Rushdie said after the 2015 terrorist attack on the office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Although levels of tolerance have eroded in the United States, we can’t ignore the role the intolerant ideology of the Islamic republic and its mouthpieces may have played in the attack, directly or indirectly.
Matt Bai: The attack on Salman Rushdie is a warning about where we’re headed
On Monday, Iran denied any link to the stabbing but was quick to blame Rushdie and his supporters for the attack that left him with serious wounds.
“We do not blame, or recognize worthy of condemnation, anyone except himself and his supporters,” a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said in a televised news conference.
Arguments by pro-engagement officials and observers claiming that the death mark on Rushdie ceased to be official Iranian policy are irrelevant. More so now after Iran’s statement. I know what it means to be a target of this brutal propaganda machine, and there is nothing subtle about its intent to do harm.
Some reports, citing unnamed intelligence officials, claim the suspect, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, had contact with members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Quds Force. But even if Iranian officials were not directly involved in planning the attack, as they claim, the Islamic republic was the inspiration, and it bears some of the responsibility for what happened.
Cartoon by Ann Telnaes: Sticks and stones
Put bluntly, the attack was an act of state-promoted terrorism.
The attempt on Rushdie’s life, and Tehran’s disgusting response to it, are important reminders of Iran’s inability to adhere to international laws and norms. It considers critics, dissidents and anyone who questions its worldview to be subhuman, unworthy of basic protections, a target to be eliminated.
The essential fact is that a great champion of free expression was violently attacked and severely wounded for daring to continue to express himself. No amount of whitewashing or politicizing will change that truth.

Why Iran must not be rewarded
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/August 18/2022
Rewarding or appeasing a rogue state generally comes in two distinct forms: Total disregard of the regime’s destructive behavior regionally and globally, and the lifting of political pressure and economic sanctions on the state in question.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Iran, the current US administration appears to be pursuing both forms of appeasement, which may have severe repercussions for US national security, as well as regional security, peace and stability.
The Biden administration should refrain from negotiating with a rogue regime that is actively trying to carry out terrorism on American soil during the negotiations. Recently, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Shahram Poursafi, aka Mehdi Rezayi, 45, of Tehran, was charged with a terrorist plot that involved offering an individual in the US $300,000 to murder a former US government official, John Bolton. The US Department of Justice said: “This should serve as a warning to any others attempting to do the same — the FBI will be relentless in our efforts to identify, stop, and bring to justice those who would threaten our people and violate our laws.”
Bolton previously served as the 25th US ambassador to the UN from 2005 to 2006 under the Bush administration and as the 26th US national security adviser from 2018 to 2019 under the Trump administration. Mike Pompeo, the former US secretary of state, was believed to be the second target of the Iranian regime, with the IRGC member reportedly offering $1 million for this future “job” to be completed.
When it comes to the Islamic Republic, orders to carry out extraterritorial assassinations most likely come from the top of the political ladder.
If the White House does not send a strong message to the Islamic Republic by halting the nuclear talks, Iranian leaders will be further empowered and emboldened to plan assassinations on American territory. Steven D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said: “An attempted assassination of a former US government official on US soil is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” His statement should be followed up with tangible action from the White House against the Iranian regime.
When it comes to the Islamic Republic, orders to carry out extraterritorial assassinations most likely come from the top of the political ladder.
The regime is not only targeting former US officials on American soil but also Iranian activists who criticize the theocratic establishment. For example, the regime was caught plotting to kidnap a US citizen in Brooklyn in July 2021, an active violation of US sovereignty. US prosecutors have charged four Iranians, Alireza Shavaroghi Farahani, aka Vezerat Salimi/Hajj Ali, 50; Mahmoud Khazein, 42; Kiya Sadeghi, 35; and Omid Noori, 45, all believed to be intelligence operatives for the Iranian regime, with plotting to kidnap the journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, who has dual US-Iranian citizenship.
A fifth person, Niloufar Bahadorifar, a California resident, again originally from Iran, was charged with providing financial assistance for the plot, sanctions violations conspiracy, bank and wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. Audrey Strauss, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York at the time, said: “As alleged, four of the defendants monitored and planned to kidnap a US citizen of Iranian origin who has been critical of the regime’s autocracy, and to forcibly take their intended victim to Iran, where the victim’s fate would have been uncertain at best.”
It is worth noting that the nuclear deal will lead to the removal of major economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic, and will enhance its global legitimacy, unfreeze Tehran’s assets, and give the ruling clerics access to the global financial system.
The regime will likely first use the extra revenue to increase its military budget and terror activities abroad. It will then likely escalate Iran’s interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. This occurred after the 2015 nuclear deal when Tehran’s military involvement in Iraq steadily rose. The regime also became more forceful in supporting and assisting the Syrian government, militarily and economically, as well as providing intelligence and acting in an advisory role. Sanctions relief, as a consequence of a return to the nuclear accord, would help Iran’s IRGC and elite Quds force, which focuses on extraterritorial operations, to buttress the regime’s proxies, including Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iraqi Shiite militias.
In a nutshell, it is incumbent on the Biden administration to hold the Iranian regime accountable and send a strong message to its leadership, otherwise Tehran’s brazen attempts to kill US citizens on American soil will continue.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh